The present invention relates to web splicers which form an automatic flying splice between a new roll and a web of material running from an expiring roll. More particularly, it is directed to a vehicular transporting and splicing apparatus for rolls of web material wherein a single apparatus may service several unwinding devices. The primary use for the present invention is likely to be printing and converting paper and plastic film, although other materials and uses may be handled using the present technology.
The present manual unwind stand operations on smaller web presses without splicers proceed as follows: when an unwinding roll is essentially depleted, the printing press is stopped, and the web connected to the web-consuming machine is manually severed from the remainder of the roll. The roll and coreshaft assembly is then manually lifted from the unwind stand. A new roll on a dolly is then moved next to the unwind stand and levered up into the unwind position, where it is then hand spliced onto the severed end of the web. The press is restarted and after several minutes of continuously producing waste, production resumes.
These manual operations are time-consuming, wasteful, arduous and injury-prone.
To avoid downtime of the web-consuming machine, two main concepts have been used to design a splicer to connect a new roll to the running web, especially on printing presses. Some use a festoon to store a sufficient length of web to allow a stationary splice to be made, while the depleting festoon continues to supply a moving web.
Other types of splicers, referred to as flying splicers or speed match splicers, make a splice automatically at operating speed by matching the surface velocity of the new roll to that of the expiring web, and rapidly adhering the end of the outer wrap of the new roll onto the expiring web. Most speed match splicers utilize a surface drive on the new roll. This requires that one or two areas across the width of the web be free of adhesive, which allows the high-velocity air used in most dryers to enter this slot in the splice, inflating it and often causing a web-break. Examples of prior art are:
McDonald U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,296, teaches the use of pivoted arms to support rolls.
Phelps U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,876, teaches a core chuck driven roll, and describes the splicing mechanism and ability to splice either the inside or outside of the paper facing upward.
Tafel U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,522, uses a surface belt drive with the disadvantage mentioned above, of not having a continuous adhesive pattern across the face of the new roll.
To overcome on this particular objection, the present invention drives the roll by its coreshaft. An example of this general type of splicer is taught in Martin U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,870 which is especially useful for printing presses having only one or two webs, or which are fed at right angles to the pressrow by web turning bars.
Both types of splicing machines are quite large, occupying a volume many times that of the rolls they process. When used with printing presses and converting lines, it is often necessary to reconfigure the entire operation to provide sufficient additional space for these splicers and space to load them. Further, there is considerable expense involved, as one splicer must be provided for every web, and in newspaper applications, multiple webs are customary. Another means of solving the floor space problem has been to stack splicers on top of one another, but this requires operators to climb ladders and work off of platforms, hoisting devices on rails, and all the webs must be strung down to floor level and under the presses.